foot going numb and hurting?

Lydiard explains a lacing pattern in one of his books. Seek out a copy.

Also consider whether the elastic cuff on your socks may be too tight and try running without them.

Final thing; try shoes a half size or full size larger.

Have seen your problem often and one of these three solutions will cure it.

This same thing happened to me. My foot would feel like it "fell asleep" and it would freaking just hurt really really bad. This was only on long runs, though. It hasn't happened since I have started stretching more before I run, and starting my first 40 minutes of the long run on grass.

Numb is never good. Don't get locked into what shoe size you normally are and consider going up in size or width. The feet grow a half-size every four years or so with steady mileage associated with distance running. Numbness could also be sciatica-related (lower back-piriformis nerve). Numbness means a nerve somewhere is stressed by pressure. It is essentially being strangled. If the numbness persists, you should check it out with a physical therapist. Once your nerve dies, it ain't coming back.

I have something similar.

I was in US Navy bootcamp ( 1991 ) when I was 19 ( now 30 y/o ) and hurt my R hip marching all day for 2 months - I am short (5' 7'')and you have to match strides with the tall guys. In boot camp, you don't tell anyone (doctors) if something is bothering you because they hold you there for 6 months (instead of 9 weeks ).

I think a nerve was being damaged - you could jab a need on the skin and I wouldn't feel anything. It felt like someone jammed a meat thermometer into my greater trocanter / hip joint area. My R hip can still get painful if I walk around ( long strides ) for a day - sightseeing on vacation, etc. Running doesn't bother it.

3 yrs later (1994 - 22 y/o) I ran a marathon and my foot went numb around 16-17 mile mark. It was like drop foot - The foot didn't roll; my R leg just slammed into the ground like a peg leg or something. I hoppity hopped it in and basically quit regular running for 6 years.

Last year I got back into running and the same shit hit me on my longer runs ( 1:45+ ). I did the 2001 Chicago Marathon and the foot went numb at 19 miles or so. I spent the last 7 hopping it in and swearing at my leg. It completely sucked.

This year I have been doing some HM's with no problems, but the R foot still goes out at 1:45+ on the long runs. My guess is the muscles in the hip / glutes swell up during the course of the run and put pressure on nerves that affect the foot.

Has anyone experienced this and found a solution ( strength training, better conditioning ( more miles over time )?

Probably a degenerative L-4 lumbar disc in the lower back. May go to a good, recommended local chiropractor, get X-rays (which don't lie), and get rehabilitated. It is possibly to "rehydrate" dried out discs (they're too close together and need adequate space so the nerve endings aren't compressed) with the proper chiropractic care, sets of exercises, etc. I have had the "peg-leg" thing (more of a non-responsive lower leg and floppy foot) going too when I run hard for a certain length of time or during long intervals, and now started seeing a chiropractor. Patty Sue Plummer had that and it was sciatica-related. My X-rays were a little disconcerting, but degeneration/compression in the discs (which pressures the nerve endings) can be turned around. Don't listen to docs right off the bat who want you to go under the knife for it though, it's big cash for them and that's a bad sign for your running...use surgery only as a last resort.

That disc thing can be for real, but dont count out it being a piriformis problem. It might not make sense at first, but you might want to do some serious stretching/deep tissue massage on your hip flexors and gluteus medius, its surprising how much it can help out your piriformis and other butt muscles.

i started back running a few years ago (39 now but former competitive runner) and would run for 25-35 minutes and foot would go numb. if i didn't stop, the numbness would extend all the way up to just below the knee. if i stopped, stretching, loosening seemed to work but in retrospect it was just the cessation of pounding that was diminishing the problem.

anyway, i went to a podiatrist and while waiting to see her in the examination room i looked at illustration of the foot with all the bones, connective tissue and nerves - it was obvious that i was tweaking a nerve. the doctor diagnosed the problem in about 3 minutes, taped up my foot. told me to run with the tape for a week, the tape job worked wonders. the problem was my arch had weakened/stretch (can't remember) but the pounding was beating up the nerve (runs right up through your foot) and as a previous poster said, once injured they don't regenerate. her big concern was how long did the numbness remain after running, in my case not long at all. orthodics were fitted and have solved the problem.

if i were you, i would make an appointment to get an exam but in the interim try a high quality arch support insert that you can buy at a sporting goods store, that might provide enough support.

might it be compartments syndrome?? In any case, you might want to go to a good sports doctor.

could be compartment syndrome or morton's neuroma inflammation

I had this a number of times during the late 80s - early 90s when Nike was shrinking their shoes and toe boxes, especially with the Pegasus.

I'd be the problem is your shoes are too tight. The ball of my foot would get that pins/needles feeling. Move up a size and if you cant afford a new pair of shoes, take a utility knife and make a vertical slit in the material around the tip of the toe box.

I would agree that the origin of many of these type injuries (including mine) was the result of ill-fitted shoes. I think my foot problems began between jr-sr year of college when I did a ton of backpacking with a pair of too narrow nike lavadomes. my feet have never been the same and i never found a pair of nike trainers i could wear (except for ldv's) which fit a wide foot like myself.